Inhofe bashes Obama on 'campaign-related' trip

5/1/12 6:09 PM EDT

Sen. Jim Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, slammed President Obama for visiting Afghanistan on a "campaign-related" trip and said security improvements in the country and the killing of Osama bin Laden "should not be politicized."

Inhofe, senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement on Tuesday that he visited Afghanistan two weeks ago and that the gains made there remain "fragile." He also criticized the president for defense cuts.

"Clearly this trip is campaign-related," he said. "We’ve seen recently that President Obama has visited college campuses in an attempt to win back the support of that age group since he has lost it over the last three years. Similarly, this trip to Afghanistan is an attempt to shore up his national security credentials, because he has spent the past three years gutting our military."

Correction: This post has been updated. An earlier version misstated the senator's committee title.